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Mariners 1B Josh Naylor hits career milestone vs. Athletics
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- Mariners 1B Josh Naylor hits career milestone vs. Athletics
The post Mariners 1B Josh Naylor hits career milestone vs. Athletics appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Seattle Mariners needed a spark, and Josh Naylor delivered it in milestone fashion. On Friday night at T-Mobile Park, the first baseman crushed a seventh-inning solo home run off A's reliever Elvis Alvarado — not only putting Seattle ahead 2-1, but also marking the 100th home run of his career. The moment sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave the Mariners the jolt they needed to secure a 3-2 win over the A's.
Before Naylor's milestone blast, the night belonged to Bryan Woo . The 25-year-old right-hander looked every bit like Seattle's ace, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and just two walks. The only blemish came in the first inning, when Brent Rooker launched a solo homer on a 98-mph fastball. Otherwise, Woo was dominant, carrying his fastball velocity into the high 90s deep into the outing and retiring hitters with ease.
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With the performance, Woo improved to 11-7 and lowered his ERA to 2.94. Even more impressive, he has now worked six or more innings in all 25 of his starts this season — something no other pitcher has accomplished in 2025.
"He's been the stopper for us all year," manager Dan Wilson said before the game. "We needed this kind of outing after that road trip."
Mariners take down the A's on Friday night
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Mariners struggled early against A's rookie Luis Morales, who didn't allow a baserunner through five innings. But Eugenio Suárez finally broke the drought in the sixth, launching a solo shot to left that tied the game at 1-1.
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One inning later, Naylor stepped up and wasted no time. He jumped on the first pitch slider from Alvarado and sent it into the right-field seats. It was the kind of swing Seattle fans have come to expect from the slugger, but the milestone attached made it all the sweeter.
"Getting to 100 means a lot," Naylor said postgame. "To be able to do it here in front of our fans, in a game we really needed to win, that's special."
Two batters later, Jorge Polanco added insurance with another solo homer, stretching the lead to 3-1. That run would prove critical once Oakland pushed back in the ninth. Closer Andrés Muñoz entered with a two-run cushion but ran into trouble, giving up three straight singles to cut the lead to 3-2. With one out and the tying run at third, Darrell Hernaiz lifted a fly ball to center — but Julio Rodríguez unleashed a rocket to the plate, forcing Tyler Soderstrom to retreat back to third. Muñoz then struck out J.J. Bleday to end the threat and secure his career-high 30th save.
The win snapped a five-game skid for Seattle, which had dropped six of nine on a tough East Coast trip. At 69-60, the Mariners remain two games behind Houston in the AL West, but with Woo's consistency and Naylor heating up, the team showed signs of stabilizing. Seattle has now won 11 of its last 12 at T-Mobile Park — and if Naylor keeps swinging like this, the Mariners' playoff push may be just beginning.
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